What has been going on in LALIGA this past week? Here are 10 of the top stories, from Real Madrid's victory in ELCLASICO to Sokratis Papastathopoulos' arrival at Real Betis.
With LALIGA EA SPORTS producing so many stoppage-time goals in Matchday 11, it has been a very dramatic and entertaining week in Spanish football, the week of ELCLASICO. Discussed below are the main storylines from these games and much more.
Jude Bellingham decides the first ELCLASICO of the season
Real Madrid won ELCLASICO on Saturday, coming from behind to defeat FC Barcelona 2-1 on the road. İlkay Gündoğan put Barça ahead early on, but Jude Bellingham continued his excellent start to the season by scoring two second-half goals, including a 92nd-minute winner, meaning that Real Madrid remain joint-top of LALIGA EA SPORTS.
Girona FC are still joint-top, alongside Real Madrid
While Real Madrid are first in the standings, they are closely followed by second-placed Girona FC, as both these sides have 28 points from the first 11 matchdays. Los Blanquivermells secured their latest victory on Friday night, defeating RC Celta 1-0 thanks to a strike from Yangel Herrera in the first minute of stoppage time. At the Estadi Montilivi, they're starting to dream, as this team is showing no signs of slowing down.
Six results are decided in stoppage time
The Real Madrid and Girona FC wins weren't the only Matchday 11 fixtures to be won in stoppage time. UD Las Palmas' 2-1 triumph at UD Almería was decided by a 94th minute Sory Kaba goal, while Real Betis' 2-1 victory against CA Osasuna came courtesy of a 94th minute Isco volley. Furthermore, Álex Berenguer netted in the 97th minute to secure Athletic Club a 2-2 draw against Valencia CF and Bebé similarly earned Rayo Vallecano a 2-2 draw against Real Sociedad in the 91st minute. That means a stoppage-time goal decided the result of six of the nine fixtures played so far this matchday, making LALIGA EA SPORTS the most dramatic league in Europe.
Atlético de Madrid make it six wins in a row
There was also a stoppage-time goal scored by Deportivo Alavés on Sunday night, although this one didn't change the destination of the three points as Atlético de Madrid held on to defeat their Basque opponents 2-1. Diego Simeone's side have now won six LALIGA EA SPORTS games in a row and are very much in the title race.
Bebé is back
Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, better known as Bebé, has rediscovered his best form. After scoring the winning goal in Rayo Vallecano's win at UD Las Palmas last weekend, he then struck his side's stoppage-time equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Real Sociedad on Sunday. It was a long-range laser from Bebé, the kind he has become known for over his career.
Half of the unbeaten Champions League clubs are Spanish
With Matchday 3 of the Champions League group stage taking place last Tuesday and Wednesday, we've reached the halfway stage of this round of the continental tournament. There are only eight teams who remain undefeated, and four of them are from LALIGA EA SPORTS, as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Real Sociedad haven't lost a game yet. Meanwhile, Sevilla FC have only lost once, yet also remain in with a good chance of securing qualification.
Real Betis sign Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Real Betis completed a signing this past week to strengthen their central defensive options, bringing in Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who was a free agent. The 35-year-old most recently played for Olympiacos, while he has also represented Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund in his career.
Getafe CF's Mauro Arambarri will miss the majority of the season
There was terrible news for Mauro Arambarri and for Getafe CF this past week, with the midfielder having suffered an ACL injury. This is expected to keep the 28-year-old out for the majority of the season, if not all of it. Once the news was announced, Arambarri received messages from across the Spanish footballing community wishing him a full recovery.
Marc Bartra suffers an Achilles tendon injury
Another player who has suffered a serious injury is Real Betis centre-back Marc Bartra. The 32-year-old had successful surgery on the issue this past week and now begins the recovery process, hoping to return in early 2024.
The Spanish Super Cup semi-finals are set
The dates and kick-off times for the 2023/24 Spanish Super Cup semi-finals were announced this week. The first semi-final will be between Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid at 20:00 CET on Wednesday, January 10th 2024, before FC Barcelona and CA Osasuna meet in the other semi-final at the same time on the Thursday.
